Case Law
by Reigumi
Summary: 24 year old Kuchiki Rukia is a junior partner for the prestigious law firm, Seireitei Law. But when the international firm Los Noches Inc. takes interest in Seireitei, a plot takes shape to destroy it from inside out. Will Rukia be able to unveil the plot and save Seireitei, or will she need to seek help in the form of a rival orange-haired lawyer? IchixRuki w/ side pairings.


**AN: Hey everybody! So, this is something I came up with one day while watching someone play monopoly (don't ask me how, 'cause I don't even understand my mind half the time -_-'). It's a little different from something I would normally write, so please let me know how it turned out. And now I'll quit with the AN 'cause they can be boring…..**

**Oh, one more thing. I already have three stories going, but I am going to put Endless Darkness on hiatus for now, 'cause I have no clue where it's going. I will hopefully get back to it soon though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, UKiss lyrics, or Dir en Grey lyrics (I wish I owned them all, that'd be epic)**

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**Case Law:**

Chapter 1: Proposal

'_O geudae gaseum apeun mareun jebal haji marayo_

_Naman saranghanda malhaetejanhayo_

_Jebal ireohke nal tteonaji mayo, mayo, mayo, mayo'_

Rukia tapped her finger against her steering wheel in time with the beat of the music. She was currently stuck in the traffic of downtown Karakura. While she normally hated being stuck like this, there was actually some decent music on this morning. She leaned to the side trying to see past the vehicles in front of her. As far as she could see, there was a traffic jam.

_Dammit. Doesn't look like I'm going to get very far anytime soon._

She sighed and laid her head back against her headrest. Above the line of cars, the tall buildings of Karakura loomed, casting long shadows in the morning light. The largest of which, an elegant building of glass and steel, sat in the distance. She still had a long way to go before she got to work.

It had been a little over three years since Rukia had joined Seireitei Law, and around a year since she had been promoted to a junior partner. It wasn't like she was gifted when it came to law or anything like that. On the contrary, she hated it sometimes. Yet she had a name to live up to, so she worked her butt off to make sure she did. If she had been gifted with a natural talent for law, she wouldn't have any problems. She would have already been made a senior partner, she would have a rather gracious income, and her brother might accept her. Sadly though, that wasn't the case.

Rukia moved forward slightly with the traffic, looking in her rearview mirror as she slowed to a stop again. As she looked at the driver of the car behind her, she saw him messing around with the radio and arguing with the person in the seat next to him; in general, not paying much attention to his driving. Rukia shook her head and made a mental note to try and get over to another lane when possible.

She was taken from her thoughts as the cell she had tossed in the passenger seat began to ring. She reached over and looked at the name on the ID.

_Crap._

"Hello Nii-sama," Rukia answered cheerily, "How are you?"

"_Where are you?" _a cold voice asked from the other end of the line.

_Fine, don't be polite to your only sister._

"I am stuck in traffic. I will be there shortly."

"_Get here as soon as possible. You have work to do."_

With that, the man on the other end hung up. Rukia stared at her phone in disbelief. He called just to tell her that?! Did he think she was some incompetent little girl that couldn't get to work by herself? She may only be twenty-four, but she was not totally stupid.

_Dammit! Why does he not realize that I try my best just to please him?!_

As Rukia was lost in thought, the car in front of her stopped suddenly. She barely noticed until she was right on top of them, making her slam on the breaks. A honk from behind her made her look back at the driver behind her, who had stuck his head out of the window and was currently yelling something she could hear, a deep scowl on his face.

"Jerk," she mumbled to herself as the flow of traffic picked up again.

* * *

'_Orugan naku kabe no mukou-gawa_

_Mimi oshi ate  
Orugan naku kabe no mukou-gawa  
Kyoujin-domo  
Dead Line  
Nightmare' _

Ichigo reached over and turned the music up. It was pretty rare for them to play such good music in the mornings. He was enjoying it despite the traffic… and company. He looked to his left at the passenger. His black hair fell down to his shoulders, hiding his pale face from Ichigo's eyes. The man's suit was in perfect order; pressed and smooth, without a single speck of dust. Yet there was something strange about the man. He seemed to emit a cold aura just sitting there. The man shifted his head slightly from looking forward, just enough so that one piercing green eye became partially visible to the one observing him.

"Must you listen to this trash?" the man asked, looking at Ichigo out of the corner of his eye.

"It's not trash. This is my favorite band. Just because you don't like Dir en Grey doesn't mean that it's automatically trash," Ichigo growled, looking forwards again to see that traffic had moved a little forward.

"No, it does not. The fact that it is trash is what makes it trash," the man replied emotionlessly.

Ichigo gripped the steering wheel a tightly, his knuckles turning white. Of all people he could have been sent with, Aizen had to send him with Ulquiorra. There were fourteen branches of Los Noches Inc. worldwide, and not a single other lawyer was willing to go to Seireitei with a proposal to sell? Ichigo found that hard to believe.

Ichigo cast a sharp look over to his passenger as he pulled forward. When his eyes moved back to the road, the driver in front of him slammed the brakes, making he himself have to hit the brakes to avoid rear ending her. He looked at her hand and saw that she was holding a phone.

"Dammit!" Ichigo lowered his window and stuck his head out part of the way. "Get off the damn phone, idiot! What the hell is your problem?! You should be watching the road in this kind of traffic!"

Ulquiorra cast a sideways glance at his companion before flicking his eyes back to the road in front of him.

* * *

Rukia quickly rushed down the hall towards her office, her heels making load clacking noises as she walked. As she approached her door, she noticed that her secretary wasn't at her desk.

_Where could Momo be? It's not like her to be late._

Rukia opened her door, still looking down the hall for Momo. As she turned her head back to the room, she saw two people separate quickly. Rukia smirked as she saw the pink tinge that popped up on both of their faces.

"What's this? A secret office romance?" Rukia asked mischievously, making the pink tinge on their cheeks turn a shade darker.

"No! It's not like that!" one of the people stated quickly. She was a short girl, about Rukia's height, with large brown eyes and brown hair that was pulled into a bun. She was fidgeting nervously on her feet like a school kid caught in the act of doing something wrong. Rukia raised one eyebrow at her, making her fidget more.

"Rukia, please don't tell anybody about this!" she pleaded.

"I might consider not telling if you were to go back to your desk, Momo," Rukia said, walking over to her own desk and setting down her coat and bag. When Rukia looked back up, Momo had already disappeared from the room.

"So, what are you doing here, Hitsugaya-san? I am assuming it wasn't just to make out with my secretary," Rukia said, looking over at the other person.

He too was short, with white spiky hair and turquoise eyes. He wore black slacks and a dark grey dress shirt with the top couple buttons undone and the sleeves pulled up to his elbows. His skinny black tie hung loosely from his neck. He gave her a soft glare before answering.

"It wasn't like that. It was just a hug," he replied, looking out of the glass window that rested nine stories above the ground.

"That didn't really answer my question," Rukia stated, sitting down in her soft, black chair. No matter how many times she sat in it, each time she did a wave of comfort would wash over her from the smooth leather. She sighed inwardly as she leaned back slightly.

"Don't forget which of us is the senior partner, Kuchiki-san," he said, turning to face her.

Despite his childish appearance and young age, Hitsugaya Toshiro was, in fact, a senior partner of Seireitei Law. A child prodigy, Hitsugaya had graduated law school at the age of nineteen, joined Seireitei Law at the age of twenty, and was already a senior partner only a year later. Whereas most people his age were only paralegals or secretaries, he continued to climb higher and higher.

"I'm sorry. But what _are_ you doing here?" Rukia asked again.

"We have a meeting with two representatives from Los Noches Inc. They apparently have a proposal for the purchase of Seireitei Law, and would like for us to come to some sort of agreement," he replied, leaning against the glass wall behind him.

"But Seireitei isn't for sale, is it?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "No, but it is common courtesy to at least hear out their offer."

Rukia looked at the clock. It was currently 08:40.

"When are they coming?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"Some time soon. I was afraid you might not make it in time, but it seems that they too were caught in traffic."

"Why are we meeting with them? Shouldn't it be Yamamoto-sama who they speak to?"

"Normally, yes, but Yamamoto-sama is out ill, so we were put in charge."

At that moment, Momo's voice broke into their conversation through a small radio box on Rukia's desk.

"Rukia, Shiro-kun, the representatives from Los Noches are already here. Would you like me to send them in?"

Rukia looked over at Hitsugaya with a small smirk. "Shiro-kun?"

"Shut up. Let them in Momo."

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal to very strange looking lawyers. One was tall with bright orange, hair that stuck up in messy spikes and burning, amber eyes. He had a scowl firmly set on his face and his hands were shoved in his pockets. He was wearing black slacks and a black tie with a maroon dress shirt that looked a little wrinkled. The other man was almost the complete opposite of the first. He was a foreigner with shoulder-length, black hair and green eyes. His pale skin almost made him glow under the florescent lights. He was wearing a simple suit that was cleanly pressed. Even the aura's given off by them felt opposing. The orange haired one seemed somewhat bored and impatient while the other looked uptight and cold.

Rukia stood as they walked in. All four bowed to each other after doing a quick once over of the new people.

"Please, sit," Rukia said, indicating the two chairs in front of her desk. The orange haired one complied without a second thought, stretching out and slouching in the chair. The black haired man remained standing behind the empty chair. Rukia sent Hitsugaya a quickly glance of skepticism before turning back to the other two.

"My name is Kuchiki Rukia, and this is Hitsugaya Toshiro," Rukia said, motioning to the white haired man behind her.

"Kuchiki? Big name for such a midget," the orange haired one said, smirking at her.

Rukia glared at the irritating carrot-top. "I'm not a midget. And after someone introduces herself, it is polite to do the same."

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Cifer Ulquiorra," the orange haired man replied, rearranging himself on the uncomfortable seat. "You wouldn't happen to have any other chairs that don't feel like I'm sitting on a lead cloud?"

Rukia could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she tried to hold back a retort. Who did this guy think he was? He was in _her _office, in _her _chair, and he had the nerve to say such things?

"Shall we get to business?" Hitsugaya suggested, casting a glance at his angry companion.

The two watched as the one named Ulquiorra pull a small piece of paper from his jacket and place it on the desk in front of Rukia. She pulled it over and held it up so that both she and Hitsugaya could see it. There was only a number written on it, but when Rukia saw it, her eyes widened in surprise.

"That's… quite a generous sum," she said, still surprised by how much they thought the company was worth.

"So you accept," the orange haired one, Ichigo, said. Rukia scowled at his overconfidence.

"On the contrary, we decline," Hitsugaya said flatly, making Ichigo look at him in disbelief.

"This is the best offer you'll get from us," Ichigo stated, trying to point out the fact that it was not something they wanted to pass up.

"It would be foolish to decline," Ulquiorra added.

"We apologize, but Seireitei Law is not for sale," Rukia said smugly. She didn't like these people very much. They were just too confident.

"Why?" Ichigo asked flatly, throwing Rukia off.

"What?"

"Why is it not for sale? It's not like this little 'business' will last much longer anyway. I took the liberty of looking at your annual quota for the past few years. The number of clients has dropped like a rock. At this rate, you'll be lucky to keep this little play house in the black for more than a couple months. It would be in your own interests to sell," Ichigo explained.

Rukia clenched her fist as she glared at him. "So what? You propose that we just abandon ship when times get rough? You might do things that way, but we are loyal to Seireitei. We have no intention of selling. If you have an issue with that, speak with Yamamoto-sama. We have nothing else to discuss."

Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by his companion.

"I see. We shall take our leave."

Ulquiorra walked to the door, but Ichigo remained where he was. He wasn't used to being rejected, and he was going to make them realize that they were making a mistake. Ulquiorra stopped in the doorway and spoke without turning.

"Come, Kurosaki."

Ichigo turned and looked back at him. "I'm not leaving until these idiots realize that they are making a mistake."

Ulquiorra turned his head slightly so that he could see Ichigo from the corner of his eye. The piercing, green orbs held so little emotion that it sent a cold chill down Rukia's spine.

"Do not display such behavior here, trash. We have done as Aizen-sama has ordered. That is all we are to do."

Ichigo stared at him in disbelief. "Ulquiorra, you can't seriously believe that he would just want us to leave without convincing these guys to sell!"

Ulquiorra turned away again before speaking again. "He simply told us to receive their answer. To do otherwise is to disobey his orders. You would do well to remember that." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving an angry Ichigo and two surprised Seireitei workers staring at the door.

"Dammit," Ichigo mumbled before following his companion's path out of the room.

Rukia leaned back in her chair again, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know, but I don't think this is over," Hitsugaya replied, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Why do you say that?" Rukia asked, looking up at him. He stared out of the window for a few seconds before answering, and when he did, he spoke slowly.

"They were told to do this by Aizen himself, founder of Los Noches. He wants something."

Rukia looked at the white haired man in confusion. "He obviously wants Seireitei. But he won't get it, so it's over."

"Maybe," Hitsugaya replied, getting up and walking towards the door, "but I don't think that's the case. Anyway, I'll report the meeting to the other senior partners and see what they think. For now, I think Ukitake-san has a case for you. You might want to speak to him now." With that, he too exited from the room, leaving Rukia to wonder what he had been thinking when he said Aizen wanted something.

_The only thing he would have wanted was Seireitei… right?_

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**AN: So, how did it turn out? Please let me know! Anyway, I hope you guys like it :D**

**My other stories will be updated soon (Undecided will be this week and Blood runs Black next week). I'm sorry for the late updates, but I have been bogged down with Sociology work and endless essays. I hate my school life sometimes T_T**

**Until next time!**

**Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!**


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